December 27 + Saint John the Apostle

John, the son of Zebedee and brother of Saint James the Great, was called to be an Apostle by Our Lord in the first year of His public ministry. He became the "beloved disciple" and the only one of the Twelve who did not forsake the Savior in the hour of His Passion. He stood faithfully at the cross when Christ made him the guardian of His Mother.

After the Assumption of Mary, John went to Ephesus, according to Church tradition. He later became banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek Island of Patmos; this is where he allegedly wrote the Book of Revelation. It is said John was banished in the late 1st century, during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering no injuries. It is also said that all those who witnessed the miracle in the Colosseum converted to Christianity.

His later life was passed chiefly in Jerusalem and Ephesus. He founded many churches in Asia Minor, and he wrote many important works, including the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation is also attributed to him. He lived to an extreme old age, surviving all his fellow apostles, and died in Ephesus about the year 100.

John is called the Apostle of Charity, a virtue he had learned from his Divine Master and which he constantly exhibited by both word and example. He is the patron saint of love, loyalty, friendships, and authors. He is often depicted in art with an eagle symbolizing "the height he rose to in his gospel."